Capitalism or Communism? Or Do We Have a Choice?

 At the end of the eighties things were crystal clear: communism lost, capitalism won and we will all live together happily ever after in material abundancy and liberal bliss, at last.

Now thirty years later the Chinese Communist Party has declared victory over poverty while in the US the middle class is slowly withering away while the media is increasingly turning into a propaganda machine of those in power.

Not only is the trend pointing to China becoming the #1 economy in the world but the US is foolishly isolating Russia (and increasingly the EU) thus pushing them to look for more reliable friends in the East.

How did that happen? Why? Can we do anything about it? Perhaps organize a demonstration on Tiananmen square or march on the Capitol or the Kremlin, or maybe break down the Berlin wall (that’s already broken) but we can always try the Korean demilitarized zone? Revolution?  I hope that will never happen because revolutions usually hurt the innocent and cement the power of the corrupt elite.

I do believe in unity in diversity. That we the people can and will unite and acknowledge that everyone has a right to an opinion (and that means everyone including those you don’t like or don’t agree with) as long as that opinion does not involve hate, or planning to harm someone, or planning to coerce someone into changing their opinion or choice. And that unity will bring reason, stability and abundance.

You may say I’m a dreamer but I hope I’m not the only one….

COOPERATION IS PROFITABLE

part of my new - ELITE MANAGEMENT THEORY series

Personal interests are paramount – most important.

The smaller the cooperating group is the better it reflects member’s interests.

(Obviously, the minimal group of one person reflects that person’s interests perfectly.)

The larger the cooperating group is the more powerful the group is and the less it reflects personal interests.

Groups of comparable sizes can have different levels of power depending on the participants.

Therefore logically elites form – smaller groups of more powerful people who tend to dominate larger groups.

There is a quirk though. An aristocrat - a member (or potential member) of the elite may appeal to the masses – a larger and therefore more powerful group of people and topple the ruling elite to establish his or her own rule – eventually creating its own elite group of people who are more powerful just because they are closer to the leader one way or another and for different reasons.

Two theories have emerged to address that – Plato/Aristotle’s aristocratic communism - the guardians (Turkish Sultans, Lenin) and but who will guard the guardians – obviously nobody and the whole idea of philosopher kings* (regardless of some remarkable examples of ethical leadership) generally failed, and that brought to the emergence of liberalism.

Liberalism at first everything seemed (and still seems fine) – liberal democracy shall account for the interests of all members of society or citizens and the free market economy should provide for the satisfaction of never ending increase of needs and expectations. The brilliance and attractiveness of the liberal ideas culminating in the US Declaration of Independence a document unsurpassed not only for its historical significance but also for its synthesis of current political thought.

Attempts to analyse humanity based on generalisations may dangerously mislead those who pursue them because the essence and power of humanity is diversity.

On the other hand, cooperation provides a decisive advantage and we can safely assume that the current people are those with ancestors who have cooperated more successfully than those who cooperated less effectively and subsequently perished.

Hate and Fear

The hate conspiracy. There is a group of really bad people out their who want to see us confused, scared, disorganized, divided and weakened. They need that so they can easily control us. Therefore, they have invented identity so they can guide sow animosity among groups of people without a chance for reconciliation or understanding because if you blame a group of people for something without seeking out the specific culprits for a particular offense you don't have a chance to discover the real motivation and make any progress towards preventing that from happening again.

Ellie Great: This is me!

Ellie Great: This is me!: It is so good that we have the internet and everyone can share joy, sorrow, pain or what we had for dinner, breakfast or lunch. I would ...

Best comment on the meeting between Trump and Putin in Helsinki 2018

Check out @Ian56789’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/Ian56789/status/1019218161311408128?s=09

Hate, hope, love and wisdom

Losers hate successful people, but don't realize hate doesn't bring success, it's the reason for you being a loser. Try hope, love and wisdom.

Elites need enemies to control the people

Said one smart American:
The English government presents, just now, a curious phenomenon. Seeing that the French and English nations are getting rid of the prejudices and false notions formerly entertained against each other, and which have cost them so much money, that government seems to be placarding its need of a foe; for unless it finds one somewhere, no pretext exists for the enormous revenue and taxation now deemed necessary.

Therefore, it seeks in Russia the enemy it has lost in France, and appears to say to the universe, or to say to itself. "If nobody will be so kind as to become my foe, I shall need no more fleets nor armies, and shall be forced to reduce my taxes. The American war enabled me to double the taxes; the Dutch business to add more; the Nootka humbug gave me a pretext for raising three millions sterling more; but unless I can make an enemy of Russia the harvest from wars will end. I was the first to incite Turk against Russian, and now I hope to reap a fresh crop of taxes."

If the miseries of war, and the flood of evils it spreads over a country, did not check all inclination to mirth, and turn laughter into grief, the frantic conduct of the government of England would only excite ridicule. But it is impossible to banish from one's mind the images of suffering which the contemplation of such vicious policy presents. To reason with governments, as they have existed for ages, is to argue with brutes. It is only from the nations themselves that reforms can be expected. There ought not now to exist any doubt that the peoples of France, England, and America, enlightened and enlightening each other, shall henceforth be able, not merely to give the world an example of good government, but by their united influence enforce its practice.

Thomas Paine

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3742/3742-h/3742-h.htm

Democracy in crisis?

Capitalism seems to follow Marx's prediction and stumble from crisis to crisis almost automatically. On the other hand democracy seems to create a system that increases inequality.
Indeed, contemporary democracy is in a crisis and has shown its many deficiencies. Same as in the past - Socrates was democratically murdered, remember? And a communist country was the first to open space for humanity. Still democracy and free markets seem like the most capable systems to produce constantly improving quality of life and will continue to do so if "We the middle-class" keep those two systems in check.

Afghanistan - another Vietnam? How can we fix it?

In Afghanistan things seem to be worse than in Vietnam of the 60's. Unfortunately no Woodstock to follow. The problem is not that the US government is making errors - we all do. We are human - not divine. The problem is that after all this time, blood and money spent they haven't learnt anything. That's how it will look on the surface. Blame it on stupidity. That though will be naïve and irresponsible. The US government is not dumb - it is powerful. The only logical conclusion then will be is that is exactly what they want - an draining of US resources for the benefit of... I don't know who but tell me if you have any ideas?

Why is socialism so appealing?

Socialism is naturally appealing because it proclaims that society shall have as it's goal the prosperity of it's members. Socialism proclaims equality as it's goal. There is nothing wrong with that because that is the goal of every democratic country remember - We the people. The problem is that socialism. wants to do that by claiming the right to seize people's property in the interest of society that is it's inherent flaw. By jeopardising a central right of the individual you start feeling free to deprive people of other rights too and that leads to a dictatorship. Because there is no 'society' that is a fiction. In reality only individuals exist and their pursuit of happiness - which is based on the right to own part of that reality. Society only exists as a free association of the individuals to gain the cooperation of others to pursue their individual goals more effectively.

For more: https://factsandtheoriessite.wordpress.com/2017/10/30/this-world-is-about-me/

Globalism - good or bad?

Why are  most people apprehensive of globalism? Isn’t it better if the whole world is organized from one center with no wars, conflicts, borders and custom control? Probably it is due to the negative experience with the infectiveness and wastefulness of organizations like the UN and the EU and above all the lack of accountability that causes the wastefulness and probably the ineffectiveness too. It is much more easier to control your local council at a town hall meeting than a faceless global company that pays its taxes in some offshore entity. That and the inherent corruption and ineffectiveness of major international organizations like the UN and EU gives globalism a bad name. On the other hand, we all love the global internet and ultimately benefit from international agreements facilitating global travel, currency exchange and goods delivery. The simple answer is - globalism is good, but it is still to crude to be satisfactory. More accountability and transparency will deprive it from its tendency to slide towards corruption and waste covered by secrecy. If you think about it the mayor of New York and the general secretary of the UN located in the same city may seem equally distant to the locals there.

Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish.*

This world isabout me! Without me the world doesn’t matter (for me). Therefore, the only practical use of this world is to make me happy! Unfortunately, based on recent observations that is not entirely true. Something is wrong. I don’t know how to fix it and that is driving me crazy.

On the other hand, that is not entirely true. There are so many things to be grateful for…

I am alive. I am healthy. I have a loving and happy family. We are striving towards our goals and we are all helping each other.

Also I appreciate that I have this blog, I have your attention, I have a job and … the internet.

Therefore, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself? **                            

But I don’t agree with the above even though I understand it. We don’t need to be rendered helpless by fear because that will play in the hands of our enemies and lead to our (and our loved ones and those close to us) destruction. On the other hand we have to fear the unknown and strive to understand it because arrogance is the path to ignorance and ignorance is the path to hell!

There are two ways to acquire knowledge – through experience – you learn better but it may take some time could be expensive and even painful if not outright dangerous, and through the shared experience of others. The main goal of knowledge being – how to make the environment more cooperative to the pursuit of our desires. Or in other words how to increase our personal power.

One obvious way is through better knowledge – the other through the cooperation of others. That is why we, the people form associations of which the government is the most powerful one. Unfortunately, that power comes with it being most prone to be corrupted and turned against us - the people. And that is not because power corrupts (it actually does) but because we, the people are not careful enough to use it correctly and establish the necessary checks and balances to keep it from slipping into dictatorship. The history of the USA is proof that the nation with the best (not perfect but still the best) system of checks and balances is the most developed (again not perfect – but still number one for the foreseeable future).

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Address

**https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_inauguration_of_Franklin_D._Roosevelt

How to take over the world in a couple of easy steps...

Why humanitydoesn’t live in everlasting peace and prosperity if we have already mastered the technological means and have access to the resources for that?

Possible answers:

Is it a greedy clique of corrupt politicians and business people who conspire against us to protect their undeserved profits because they know of no other way to safeguard their privileges other than instigating division, conflict, war and chaos? More...

Dear friends, I have started a new blog at: https://factsandtheoriessite.wordpress.com/
Please, check it out and tell me what you think?

Life, Love and Everything

All the knowledge in the world is hidden deep within each human being. Sincere appreciation is the key to unlocking the thoughts and feelings that may give the solutions to all the problems that we may strive to resolve.

Human beings are the most complex creatures in the universe and are the result of complex interplay of mathematical and physical laws and complicated chemical reactions. Thus, in a sense each an everyone of us is the product and representative of the whole universe and the focus of a sophisticated interplay of energies.

The natural starting point for studying people is to study oneself to gain a solid basis and reference point. Look deep inside yourself, be as sincere as you can and you will find the solutions to most of your problems.

Love is not dependent on others – it can only come from within and when it comes – give it everything you have. It’s worth it even if you make a mistake because that’s the only way to find out. Without love I am frustrated, tired, clueless, stressed out, helpless, hopeless and only the numbing pain at the bottom of my empty heart reminds me I am still alive. True love brings wisdom and wealth.

The Quest for an Empire - TQE

The quest for an empire – powerful enough to deter all potential enemies and thus secure peace and prosperity for its subjects!

How did humanity try (and keeps trying ) to achieve this dream, where did we succeed and when and why did we fail?

I an attempt to discover a pattern I noticed that:

It obviously starts with concentration of power to achieve security, followed by large development, defence and ideological projects. Soon concentrated power leads to abuse, abuse erodes support for the government and ultimately the empire fails. Therefore, better systems – those with a better chance of survival are those that have implemented better governance. Good accountability is essential for good governance. Therefore, in essence, accountability is indispensable for sovereignty.

Associations and Governance

Assumption:

People form associations to solve difficult problems they are unable to solve alone. Elites emerge within associations to lead and manage them. Elites may misunderstand their own interests as contrary to the other stakeholders and become corrupt.

Therefore, systems should be established and constantly improved to ensure the interests of all stakeholders are considered and pursued.

Elites exist only within associations.  Associations exist only when people come together to solve particular problems.

Governance systems need constant updating because corrupt elites will tirelessly and incessantly work towards beating the system. That updating is difficult to achieve because by definition it’s the elites who will investigate what needs to be updated and the corrupt part of them may take over/hijack that task.

Foolishness

We are all kings and queens regardless of our foolishness. For foolishness is humankind's disease. There is no dumb duck, no silly cow...

The Shortcut Axiom

Most people will act reasonably to pursue their interests. The best way to do that is by finding and exploiting shortcuts. If this shortcuts infringe on someone's interests they are bund to provoke opposition that may lead to failed projects or worse. Therefore people tend to cooperate to secure advantages. Because communication is easier in smaller groups elites are likely to emerge from the more successful associations. Elites as a group may seek cooperation with the rest or be tempted by the easier way to obtain an advantage  by exploiting them.

Elites will always pursue their own interests so the rest must be on guard. Lack of accountability can lead to mounting tensions that may cause destruction adversely affecting everyone involved.

On the other hand if the good life is created by rational actors pursuing their goals then cooperation is most certainly advantageous.

Institutionalised cooperation is even better due to improved communication and accumulated knowledge of successful methods and processes but is prone to be hijacked by corrupt elites who may become too comfortable if their is lack of accountability and be tempted to abuse the power that they have helped create by organising society.

Personal/individual freedom is essential for the common good! Personal freedom is only possible when it is based on personal property. Personal property is only possible when it is protected by a powerful state. Otherwise it is a mere fiction. The power of the state stems from the cooperation of the people. Public/national interest different from the personal interest is a dangerous delusion used by many dictators and should be seen as such.

The Importance of Laziness

The Importance of Laziness

Since the time when our ancestors chose to use tools and keep them – till the invention of the TV remote – humanity's advantage has been driven by laziness. Laziness in other words is finding, learning and reusing shortcuts. The learning – reusing part is called Ideas.

Ideas that help me find food, shelter and security. Ideas in the form of religion, politics, ethics, science and philosophy.

Desires are the guiding beacons of our being. Collectively desires stem from or form the soul. Therefore whenever the devil offers you whatever you wish in exchange for your soul – she or he is trying to trick you. For without soul you have no desires, nothing to strive for. The purpose of life is the quest for shortcuts to satisfy the hungry soul.

Laziness is the path to happiness.

The Essence of Politics

The main or perhaps only goal of government is to protect private property.
Private property is impossible without a government to protect it.
Even if you are the strongest in your neighborhood it will only take the collusion of two or three people to deprive you of it.
That ultimate power of government in regards to private property invites the temptation to use is as a tool to steal and reapropriate that property to those who hold or pull the strings of political power.
That struggle between those who need government to protect their property and those who want to use government to steal is the essence of politics.